Kerala on Friday became the first state in India to procure rapid testing kits from Hong Kong. These kits will enable faster testing in case of community transmission of the coronavirus (covid-19). They can test thousands of samples in some minutes.
Meanwhile, Kerala’s existing testing centre Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram has announced that it can now test as many as 3,000 samples in 24 hours, according to an India Today report. However, the main testing unit in Kerala that is a local field station at the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha can only test 70-odd samples in about two days.
Given the latest developments, the state is set to become one of the biggest testing centres for the virus in the country. It has ten government laboratories that act as major medical centres, also one of the highest figures in India. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu too are major testing centres, with 13 and 10 central labs, respectively. Some states are also aided by private testing centres of lesser scale.
Public health experts have repeatedly said testing is needed more in number and everywhere, and a lag could take a toll. Rapid testing is expected to give states a better idea on the infection’s spread.